American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives

Picking slate in Scranton, PA, n.d.

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Title

Picking slate in Scranton, PA, n.d.

Description

Boys in Scranton, Pennsylvania pick slate from coal. Industrial change transformed the nature of work in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and young children often labored in the new industries instead of attending school or remaining at home in order to supplement the family income. While many believed these modern forms of child labor were wrong, there was disagreement as to how to respond to the matter in a way that didn't violate accepted strongly held economic and political beliefs.